Today we’d like to introduce you to Becky Mariano.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My interest in social media began when I was in college and Facebook was the easiest way to keep in touch with all of my friends and to share pictures. My love of social media, however, really developed when I started seeing its application in the business world upon entering the workforce, specifically during my time as an Event Production Assistant and Social Media Community Manager for a wedding and event production company.
The best thing about social media in my mind is that the various platforms provide a direct line of communication from businesses and brands to their audiences and customers (and vice-versa), eliminating the middleman so-to-speak. Social media really provides a way to humanize brands and make them more relatable.
In the fall of 2011, I moved to Boston to start my career in the Financial District at Weber Shandwick, Global Communications Agency. I joined the Digital Team as Digital Account Coordinator and Community Manager and I got my real start in the corporate Digital world here. At Weber, I served as a website Content Manager and learned to oversee and maintain social media channels for a multitude of world-class brands that I held in high regard.
After working at Weber Shandwick, I had the privilege of being a part of teams at Elevate Communications, Lois Paul and Partners, and tCognition Inc. At each of these firms, I had the opportunity to further my skills in analysis, strategy, social media measurement, and entrepreneurship, all of which contributed to my vision of creating and running my own business.
Now, having close to a decade of solid social and digital media industry experience, I’ve embarked on a new journey in the form of starting my own consulting company!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
For the most part, the transition from the corporate world to starting my own consulting business has been smooth, but there has absolutely been a learning curve. To put it simply, running your own business is hard! I’ve realized that I took so many of the things that went on “behind-the-scenes” in the corporate world for granted, all of which now fall on me.
For example, when embarking on this new venture, I didn’t put a lot of thought into the fact that I would need to assume all roles within a Finance Group, Sales Team, and Human Resources Department, while still doing all the work required of a Social Media Marketing unit in order to best serve my clients and my business. I wasn’t just working on the client projects I loved anymore but also learning new specialties.
I also didn’t spend much time thinking about the fact that I might need supplemental help, as I figured it would be quite some time until I would have enough business to need to hire out. It turns out, however, that I needed help sooner than expected! I tapped some amazing colleagues for recommendations, and decided to bring on an intern. The best advice I’ve received thus far is to outsource work that I don’t have the bandwidth to cover on my own, and I’m so glad I did!
Mariano Media – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I run a social media consultancy, founded in February 2018 with the mission of providing personalized, cost-effective social media strategy for individuals, small boutique businesses, and start-ups.
While I have a wide breadth of expertise in the social and digital media fields, gleaned from years in the corporate world, I specialize in providing one-on-one social media training, social channel analytics reporting, social strategy and content development, and expert social media consulting to my clients.
My consultancy is based in Brookline, Massachusetts, but I provide social media services nationwide due to the remote nature of my business. With close to a decade worth of corporate agency experience spanning a myriad of industries, servicing boutique to fortune 500 companies, I provide veteran-level knowledge with a personalized one-on-one feel.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
The proudest moment of my career so far has been finding the courage to use my experience and skill set to create a business of my own; one that serves others on a more personal level than I had been able to provide at an agency. I didn’t think I would ever have the opportunity to live out my entrepreneurial dreams, but when I came upon a “career-life crisis” of sorts, I chose to take a chance that is paying off in so many ways.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mariano-media.com
- Phone: 860-604-3874
- Email: beckygmariano@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beckygmariano/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beckygmarianollc/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/beckygmariano
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/becky-g-mariano-llc/
Image Credit:
Emily Tebbetts Photography, Precious Details Photography by Cathy Lyn Pinch
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
